Meal Chat: Promoting Mealtime Social Interaction for College Students

Mealtimes serve important social functions in our everyday lives. Public dining spaces on college campuses are positioned to be social and engaging spaces to make new connections. With the prevalence of digital devices, technology usage introduces new dynamics into students' mealtimes. In this study, we explored the current mealtime technology usage patterns of college students and rethought the role of technology in eating. We proposed Meal Chat - a technology probe to explore the alternative role of technology during mealtimes by encouraging social interaction for students eating at on-campus public dining areas. Meal Chat aims to provide an opportunity for college students to socialize and reduce the barrier of starting mealtime socialization with a stranger. Rethinking the role of technology in mealtimes, Meal Chat seeks to prompt rather than to replace social interaction during mealtimes.